Midnight Swim
by Nothing You Can Prove
Summary: Rachel and Chloe have been planning a midnight swim in Blackwell's pool for a while now. Will they be the only ones or will someone else come along for the ride?


**Hey guys, I hope you are all doing well today. This was a little idea I had while writing for another fic a little while back now, which often happens. I needed a break from essay writing before I went totally crazy, well more than I am already. Since I managed to finish it quickly, I thought I'd post it. Other stories will resume shortly. Check my profile for further updates.**

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 **Thursday – 3:56 P.M. – Photography Classroom**

Max glanced over to the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by painfully. Time almost seemed to be stuck, that was how slowly it was moving. Class was so nearly over for the day. If it had been anything other than photography, she'd have probably been out by now. Mr. Jefferson just loved to drag things out until the very last moment. Nobody else seemed to be paying him much attention right now, well apart from Stella, Kate and Victoria. The others were either half asleep, staring out of the window wishing for freedom or texting. Among those texting was Rachel Amber. Somehow, she always managed to time it so Mr. Jefferson wasn't looking her way. Max had no idea how she did it. It was a skill she had yet to master herself.

By the time she brought herself out of her trance, she realized that she had been staring at Rachel for way too long… and the impish blonde had noticed. There was a huge, self-satisfied smirk on her face as hazel eyes met blue. Max quickly looked away but it was too late. She mentally kicked herself for providing Rachel with more teasing material and focused back down at the scarce notes and numerous doodles on the page. It was hard not to get caught up staring at Rachel. There was something about her that just drew you in. Whether you loved or hated her, you'd be thinking about her. The worse thing was, she damn well knew it too.

With a soft sigh, Max began to sketch over a drawing in the corner of the page, one of many. The doodle depicted three girls all grinning broadly, one of whom was herself. Alongside this were several other smaller drawings of does, butterflies and various lines that hadn't gone anywhere beyond idle movement. She was always surprised at how much she could do in without getting caught. It was at times like this she wished that she could whip out her coloring pencils and not look suspicious. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, not when she was so close to freedom. The last thing she needed was for Mr. Jefferson to keep her behind… again. Just as she was finishing up, the bell rang to signal the end of class. He continued to talk as they all packed up, eager to escape. She had to hand it to him, he was persistent. After grabbing her bag from by her feet and shoving her notepad and pencil case inside, she stood up and slung it over her shoulder. Rachel was already packed up but she always waited around. Max approached her, briefly glancing over to see Victoria in her usual ass-kissing spot leaning over the desk, and they both left the room.

At this time of day, the hallway was packed. It was a miracle that any of them were able to survive the stampede. Rachel and Max exchanged a knowing glance before diving straight into the crowd. They weaved their way among the bodies until the exit was in sight. Rachel got out first, with Max close behind.

"It seems I win this time, Caulfield," Rachel mentioned triumphantly, standing to the side as the crowd filtered through the door to the main part of the campus grounds.

Before she could get crushed, Max darted to join her. Once safe, she shook her head with a small smile. "Everything is always a competition with you. And Chloe."

"You wouldn't have it any other way," Rachel pointed out confidently.

Max opened her mouth to protest this, then closed it again when she realized it was pointless. "I guess not."

"Do I get a prize?" Rachel asked cheekily, pushing her luck. If she had her way, the prize would be an interesting one.

Instead of denying her outright, Max decided to humor her. "Maybe."

Hazel eyes lit up at the possibility. "Can I choose?"

"No, I know what you're like," Max replied quickly, not giving her the chance to get her hopes up.

"So cruel…" She pouted melodramatically, crossing her arms at the outright refusal. It was all an act, of course.

Eventually, the mass of students dwindled down to a few stragglers and the two girls began to make their way back to the Prescott Dorm building. Most people had decided to head straight home, however some still lingered on the campus grounds since it wasn't too cold out for nearly being Spring. Which reminded Max… Chloe's birthday was coming up soon. As much as her best friend had joked about being owed a ton of birthday presents, Max felt like she deserved that much at least. Unfortunately, material gifts wouldn't erase all the bullshit she had been through in those five years of radio silence. If only…

"What's going on in that head of yours?" The question cut through the self-conscious thought.

Max shook herself back to reality, noticing that they were standing still. She couldn't even remember stopping. Not wanting to leave the question unanswered too long, she cleared her throat. "Just… thinking about Chloe."

As expected, Rachel took that as a cue to tease. "I bet."

"You didn't let me finish," Max interrupted before she could continue that line of thought. "I was just wondering what to get for her birthday."

"Sure you were. You know, I might have a few suggestions." The twinkle in Rachel's eyes set off every possible warning alarm in Max's mind. She was obviously plotting something huge… something that would no doubt be totally embarrassing.

"If any of those end up with me doing something purely for your benefit, then I don't need to hear them." Max was all too familiar with Rachel's idea of 'helping' by now. To be fair, she usually had some good advice if you could just catch her in the right mood.

"You could consider it my birthday present too, then. Two birds with one stone. Besides, what if I promised you that you _would_ enjoy it as well." Something about Rachel's tone was nearly convincing enough to get Max to agree without question. It was kind of scary just how good she was at persuading people.

"Oh, confidence…" Max shook her head, not even wanting to imagine the suggestions Rachel would come up with. "I'm not so desperate for ideas that I'll willingly sacrifice whatever small shred of dignity I have, yet."

Rachel shrugged, an expression of mild disappointment crossing her features. She had expected this reaction but she always held that small flicker of hope. "Well, if you're struggling closer to the time you know where to come."

"I'll keep that in mind," Max mentioned as she re-adjusted her bag strap.

The disappointment quickly faded, giving way to something much more worrying. Mischief. "Speaking of suggestions… I have a little proposition for you."

"Define proposition." Max didn't even try to hide the skepticism in her tone. Nine times out of ten, Rachel's ideas were insane.

"Nothing too adventurous, don't worry," Rachel reassured her, sounding extremely convincing too.

Realizing that there was no harm in hearing her out at least, Max shrugged. "Shoot."

She immediately regretted her action when Rachel's expression changed to worryingly smug and rascally. "Well, Chloe and I have been wanting to go for a midnight swim for a while now. So, we were wondering if you wanted to join us."

Out of all the things she could have said here, this suggestion was surprisingly tame. Sure, it was rebellious as usual but Max had heard much crazier ideas before from both her and Chloe. "Why am I not surprised it's something like this?"

"You almost sound disappointed. Not daring enough for you?" Rachel grinned broadly with her famous 1000 kilowatt smile.

"Oh, it's plenty daring. Borderline crazy." Max quickly interjected before she took that as a sign to rope her into something totally insane.

"Crazy good, though," Rachel added eagerly.

"There is no way to win an argument with either you or Chloe," Max sighed, knowing when she was beaten. On rare occasions, she managed to keep up with the pair of them. Not today, though.

Rachel lightly nudged her shoulder as they walked. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Fun?" Max questioned doubtfully, certain that their individual idea of fun was _very_ different.

"Yeah. Let that daring side out of you. Besides, I bet Chloe would _love_ to see you stripped down. So would I." She added as an afterthought, stroking her chin as if she was really picturing it. Knowing Rachel, she definitely was.

As expected, she just _had_ to bring Chloe into this in the most embarrassing way imaginable. "I doubt that…"

"I wouldn't be so sure. You won't know unless you try." Rachel's tone was only half-joking when she said this.

"I don't get you sometimes. What are you even trying to achieve?" Max asked suspiciously. It was at times like this when she really didn't understand Rachel's angle. She wasn't quite sure what was going on between Chloe and Rachel, but she got the impression that there was _something_ or at least potential for something. Even with that, Rachel seemed to keep pushing her like this and not always in a joking way either.

Instead of replying immediately, Rachel offered up a knowing smile. "Like I've said before, I'm just here for some fun. Live a little."

For some reason, Max didn't entirely believe that response but she decided to leave it for now. Pushing for answers would get her nowhere. "You're not going to drop this until I say yes, are you?"

"Nope," Rachel confirmed with a smirk.

"Fine, I'll come," Max reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was pointless resisting. Rachel would just get Chloe involved and… make it nearly impossible to refuse.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Rachel asked with light-hearted teasing.

"I feel like I've just signed my soul away to the Devil," Max sighed over-exaggeratedly. Before she met Rachel, that kind of sigh was solely reserved for Chloe. Now though, she wasn't quite sure who deserved it more.

This comparison set Rachel off grinning. "That's me. I only bring my tails and horns for… special occasions."

Max frowned slightly at the flirtatious tone, aka Rachel's default. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Maybe you _should_ ," Rachel corrected gleefully. "You never know where questions can get you."

That was exactly why she didn't ask them. "Maybe another time. Well, if you really are the Devil then I guess going to hell wouldn't be so bad."

"You know it. Don't tell anyone else, though," Rachel's voice lowered to a dramatic stage whisper. "If people knew I was secretly residing in hell, it would get overcrowded down there."

"Your secrets safe with me," Max replied with a slight smile. She suppressed it a little so as to not boost her friend's ego any more than necessary. It was kind of weird to consider Rachel as her friend. Awesome, but weird since they were polar opposites. Rachel was popular, smart, pretty and talented… all the things Max felt she wasn't. Enough about her own insecurities, though. Rachel was a lot to handle sometimes, even more than Chloe sometimes, but she wasn't a bad person as Victoria liked to claim.

"I knew I could count on you, Max. So, I'll let Chloe know about our little rendezvous. How about we meet at my room around 12?" A mischievous grin tugged at the corner of Rachel's lips as she winked at Max. "That'll give me enough time to fit those virgin sacrifices for my demonic rituals."

"I guess that means I should _definitely_ steer clear of you until then," Max responded effortlessly. Sometimes witty answers came to her easier than breathing. Other times… not so much.

Rachel snapped her fingers, looking disheartened as she pushed on the door to let them into the dorm building. "Damn, maybe I shouldn't have told you my cunning plan until after I had you tied down. Oh well, never mind. I would suggest using Victoria but…" She didn't continue the sentence, confident that the implications were clear.

"Dog, just because Victoria is 'popular' doesn't mean that she's… you know…" Max's sentence trailed off into silence as they headed on up the stairwell, hoping the message had come across. Even though Victoria acted like a complete asshole most of the time, they shouldn't stoop to her level.

"No, I don't know. Whatever could you be talking about?" Rachel teased, enjoying every second of watching Max's descent into embarrassment. It was just too tempting to get her all flustered.

"You are… impossible sometimes." This was a phrase Max felt like she was repeating more and more with each passing day. Hell, it was probably her catchphrase by now what with all the time she spent around Chloe and Rachel.

Her lack of a witty response made Rachel beam, "That's what makes me so lovable." Her expression suddenly became more troubled. "You do have a point, though. I suppose I shouldn't slut shame. Some of us are actually capable of sympathy and feel bad for it."

"Don't compare yourself to Victoria," Max quickly interjected to rid her of the mild guilt. "You'd have to work pretty hard to even get close to her level."

The once concerned expression rapidly changed on hearing those words. "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"Yeah well, don't get used to it," Max mumbled, trying hard not to stare too much at the frankly dazzling grin she was receiving right now.

"Oh, I don't know about that…" the grin widened considerably then as they came to a stop in front of Rachel's dorm room at the nearest end to the door. "I'm pretty good at persuading certain responses from people."

"I'm just going to ignore that," Max glanced down the hallway. "Listen, I need to get going now."

Rachel followed where she was looking, allowing herself a smirk. "Another tea date with our resident cutie, Kate Marsh?"

"It might be," Max replied noncommittally.

"Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't." She winked meaningfully.

Max rolled her eyes at the thinly veiled sexual connotations. "Does anything innocent ever leave your mouth?"

It seemed as if she really needed to think about this question. "Maybe… on rare occasions."

"I should have guessed that answer. See you around, but not before 12," Max added as an afterthought.

"But sacrifices are fun, trust me. I never said what kind of sacrifice it would be. They aren't all about death and destruction," Rachel coaxed, not ready to give up yet.

Max rolled her eyes playfully. "I can just imagine what you would do around poor innocent virgin sacrifices."

"You don't _have_ to just imagine," a flirtatious smile tugged at her lips as she leaned in closer, her voice little more than a whisper. "Let's just say if they were all as cute as you, they might not be virgins for long. It might ruin the ritual but it'd be worth it."

For a while, Max wasn't quite sure how to react to this. She should be used to this but every now and then she was caught off guard. It only took her a second or two to recover. "I figured you'd say as much."

Rachel noticed the elongated pause however she didn't say anything. She didn't want to push things _too_ far. Max was an open book, so it was easy to tell when to stop. "Am I that predictable?"

"Sometimes." Max glanced down at her phone, seeing that she was running late now for her tea date. She always felt bad for making Kate wait on her. Timekeeping just wasn't her strong suit. "Anyway, I'd best get going."

"See you later, then. Don't be late or there will be a punishment." Rachel waved her off as she entered her room, making sure to blow a kiss in her direction before disappearing off inside. Speaking to Rachel always left her feeling equally drained and in a good mood. Maybe a midnight swim wouldn't be all that bad after all. Not if Chloe and Rachel were there at least.

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 **11:54 P.M. – Max's Room**

A soft buzzing reached Max's ears, waking her. She'd decided to have a quick nap so she wasn't yawning the entire time she was out with Chloe and Rachel. Speaking of… After turning off her alarm, stretching her arms above her head and rubbing at her eyes, she slowly stood up. Once she had gathered together her bag and hoodie, she slipped out of her room using her phone light to guide her. She crept down the hallway, thankful to see all doors closed. Having witnesses could be… complicated. Especially if that witness had a personal vendetta against you. Instinctively, Max's eyes wandered over to Victoria's door, just in case.

With her fears now eased, she continued down the hallway to Rachel's room. Her heart was beating in her chest so much that it felt like it was about to explode. When she reached the door, she let out a sigh of relief. All this sneaking around was not good for her nerves and she hadn't even done anything yet. She lightly knocked on the door to let Rachel and Chloe know she was here.

There was shuffling and muffled voices from behind the door. A few seconds later, the door opened revealing Rachel. When she saw Max, she broke out into her usual smug grin and leaned against the doorframe. "Oh, you're early. You know, that sacrifice thing only takes a couple of minutes at most. We still have time."

That comment made a smile quirk at Max's lips. "You sure are persistent."

"Some people require that kind of approach," Rachel mentioned with a meaningful look.

"Hey Rach, quit hogging Max already and let her in," Chloe whined from inside the room, not bothering to get up from the bed yet. As a rule, if she didn't have to move then she didn't.

"Jealous, are we? Fine, I'll share." Rachel chuckled as she stepped aside to let Max inside, making sure to wink at her before she left her field of vision.

Max followed close behind her, closing the door quietly behind her. You could never be _too_ careful. Chloe was sprawled out on the bed as expected. When she heard the door close again, she shuffled to an upright position on the edge of the bed before standing up and grinning. "I wasn't quite sure if you'd be joining us."

"That would be courtesy of yours truly." Rachel performed a small bow before turning back to Chloe. "So pay up, Price."

"Damn it…" Chloe grumbled as the implications kicked in. Her smile faded slightly as she reluctantly shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out some coins, placing them into Rachel's outstretched palm.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Rachel grinned as she pocketed the change, enjoying every single second she spent reveling in victory.

Max watched the exchange with mild curiosity. She always seemed to be the center of their bets for some reason. "It always surprises me just how much you guys bet against one another."

"We may be poor as shit, but there's always something to gamble," Rachel pointed out once she had finished gloating.

"Some of us are poorer than others… now," the bluenette muttered under her breath clearly annoyed at losing her pocket change. It was more of a pride thing than the money, though.

Her irritated response earned her a light shoulder nudge from Rachel. "Aw, don't get all salty."

"I'm not, really. Okay, maybe a bit," she finally admitted when both Max and Rachel gave her equally disbelieving looks. They knew how competitive she was by nature. "It's a win-win situation for me. On the one hand, I could get money but I'd rather chill out with Max."

"Are you sure that's not the sore loser in you talking?" The impish blonde playfully mocked, curious to see how her friend would reply.

Chloe just shook her head, "Nope. Max is worth more than… whatever I just gave you." A flicker of mischief entered her blue eyes as she glanced at Max. "Anything more than five dollars might be pushing it, though."

Max should have predicted this response. "I feel the love."

"Seriously though, I'm still amazed how Rach managed to convince you," Chloe admitted, looking thoroughly impressed.

Before answering, Max glanced over to Rachel who simply smirked. "She can be pretty persuasive."

A soft chuckle filled the air. "That's an understatement. I'm glad you're tagging along."

When Max saw that dazzling smile she'd come to know and… appreciate, she couldn't help but return it with her own brand of dorky grin. "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble. Well, _too_ much trouble." She glanced over to Rachel for a brief moment, knowing how much of a hellraiser she was.

This extra attention didn't go unnoticed. "I feel like that was not-so-subtlety directed my way."

"You have to admit, you're not the best impulse control," Max continued. If anything, Rachel only encouraged mischief at every possible moment.

She just shrugged at the accusation. "Impulses are what keeps life entertaining."

"Exactly my point," Max crossed her arms, hoping that tonight would go without a hitch.

"Speaking of impulses…" There was something extremely worrying about the way Rachel was acting now. Max had a feeling she would not like whatever was coming next. "How does skinny dipping sound?"

It took a moment for the question to settle. When it had, Max's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks heat up at the very thought. "Oh, dog. Why would you even suggest that?"

"To revel in the embarrassment it causes and to feel free," Rachel replied with a predictable answer. "You need to loosen up."

Still feeling flustered, Max began to protest. "I think I can 'loosen' up just fine without… completely exposing myself."

"You wouldn't be the _only_ one doing it," Rachel stated as if that should change her mind.

"Because that makes me feel _so_ much better. Besides, if we do get caught, which is a high possibility, I'd rather be clothed." There were other reasons, but Max didn't want to say them. They were just too awkward to admit.

"What do you think, Chloe?" Rachel asked, unwilling to give up on the idea. Both girls turned to the bluenette, curious who she would side with. She had been surprisingly quiet ever since the suggestion had been voiced. To be honest, it looked like she had stopped listening a while ago and was deep in thought. Only just noticing the sudden attention, she shook her head to focus again.

"Me? I…" Her tone was surprisingly hesitant as she looked between Rachel and Max with confliction.

"Is Chloe Price shy?" Rachel challenged, knowing just how to rile Chloe up.

"No…" she immediately denied before pausing thoughtfully and sighing. "Maybe, a little." That was easier to admit than the real reason behind her hesitation.

Rachel scoffed at that. "What do you have to be shy about? I mean, you're hot as hell. Right, Max?"

This felt like an interrogation for Max and she wasn't sure which answer was correct. The truth was… complicated and could mess things up. It was an unspoken rule of the friendship code to give confidence boosts, but maybe her confession would be more than just a confidence boost among friends. That was what made it so difficult. Pandora's box just waiting to be opened. Maybe she was just overthinking it, as always.

Swallowing her self-doubt, Max worked up the courage to reply. "I… yeah, I guess."

"You guess…" Chloe's face fell then, sounding disappointed by the noncommittal answer.

"No, I know…" Max corrected more forcefully than she had wanted. The assertiveness definitely caught Chloe off guard if her expression of mild bewilderment was anything to go by. Not wanting to sound like a total creep, Max began to backtrack. "I mean…"

The words just didn't want to leave no matter how hard she tried. Her mouth opened and closed several times and she could feel her cheeks heating up. She refused to meet the gaze of either Chloe or Rachel, scared at what she might see. That was her specialty, messing things up.

Suddenly, she felt something on her head. Max looked up to see Chloe standing close, her hand resting on her head. Something about her expression appeared uncertain but she offered up a small smile. "Don't worry so much, Max."

"I'm not worrying," Max replied too quickly.

Chloe's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Like I believe that. I know you too well, Caulfield." The skepticism faded, giving way to a genuine smile. "Thanks for the compliment agreement, however clumsy." After lightly ruffling Max's hair, she shot a determined glance Rachel's way. "That doesn't mean I'm doing it, though."

With a deep sigh, Rachel shook her head. "Yet another plan foiled."

"Another plan?" Chloe turned to her with curiosity.

Rachel nodded while motioning towards Max with her head. "Yep, Max wouldn't play along with my demonic sacrifice ritual."

Of course, this confused Chloe. "Wait… your what now?"

"I'm the Devil if you hadn't already guessed," Rachel stated matter-of-factly, unfazed by the statement.

It took a few seconds for Chloe to process this seemingly random information. "You're something alright…"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

"You'll have to wait and see. These lips are sealed." To accompany this, Chloe pulled her fingers over her lips like she was doing up a zip.

That evasive comment encouraged the flirtatious tone in Rachel's voice to return. "I'm sure I can find a way to… loosen them. Or Max could. I'm open."

Max held her hands up, eager to avoid this line of conversation. "Don't drag me into this."

Despite her attempts to keep out of it, Rachel still ran with the topic. "Why not? Three is better than two in certain situations. My _favorite_ situations."

"No prizes for guess what those are," Chloe muttered, shaking her head.

"Oh, I don't know about that. _I_ might give somebody a related prize for guessing," she offered, waiting to see if either of them would take the bait.

Chloe just chuckled at her. "Of course you would."

"Anyway, enough chit chat or we'll miss our window," Rachel declared gleefully. Max and Chloe nodded, ready to follow her lead. She was excited for to see what the night would bring. One thing was for certain, it wouldn't be dull.

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 **I think this one might end up being at least a two-parter, depending on a few things. I would like to cover the actual pool experience when I find the time to write another chapter. After that… well, I'm sure my brain can pump out some gay af stuff if necessary. Something I'm always happy to write.** **Not sure when the next bit will be done, though. I have a ton of new stories I want to start some point next year (which is scary close now) along with finishing older ones off, so we'll see. At least this part is out, otherwise it would remain in writing idea limbo.** **Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in another story when I get back from my Hiatus hell.**

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 **Post-chapter note:**

 **I want to make a few things clear in light of some guest reviews I received. Firstly, don't _ever_ diminish someone just because they take drugs or sleep around. That does not make them any less of a person. Rachel is a character but there will people out there who take drugs or sleep with a lot of people and that doesn't make them bad people. They don't deserve your shit. Maybe look at yourself first before judging. ****Secondly, if you can't handle "mature" conversations (like at least ¾ of fanfic will have this and way more intense than what is in this chapter, which was literally nothing), then don't read stories with mature ratings. Use your brain.**

 **Thirdly, if you have something to say to me that is rude, don't hide behind guest reviews because I won't take you seriously. You obviously know what you are saying is "spiteful" if you make it so I can't reply back. Not that I would give you the satisfaction of answering anyway because it's pathetic. And seriously, don't people have anything better to do than try to make me feel bad? Obviously not. Saying shit to me is _not_ going to make me stop writing the way I do. _Ever_. I'm writing these stories for myself and if you enjoy them, great. If not, so what?**

 **Fourthly, I am fine with receiving constructive criticism. It might be helpful for me, but that is my choice to listen. People don't have to like my stories. I don't expect that. What I _do_ expect is people to be polite and respectful, even if they don't like something or agree. Or better yet, why not just move on instead of wasting your and my time. If you're just telling me things are "disgusting" and I need to get my head tested, then I'm just going to ignore it. Grow up and get a life.**

 **I don't like having to respond to things like this but I am not going to tolerate rudeness. If you don't like my stories, fine. But treat me like a human being and not a punching bag. Right, now that's out of the way, thanks for reading.**


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